The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-06-04

nossably convenient distance Of the scene
of operations, they helped each other cook
for several days before the event, the man
interested taking care to provide them with
a fat pig or two, chickens, venison or even
beef not forgetting an abundance OF grocer
les, both dry and wet according to his
means The girls, you may be sure, took a
lively interest in these raising bees,
for out of them they often raised "A beau and
not unfreauently young man found his fu'
ture happiness, and pretty girl her fate at
such assemblages,
The early settlers pretty daughters could
never have looked sweeter to the eyes OF
mortal man than when blooming with the
rosy ripeness Of youthful health, at'ired IN
raiment Of rustic simplicity, ever more at
rractive to pure minded men than tawdry
Emery and fashionable frippery' lhey
waited at table where sat the bashful young
men, supplying them with the substantials
and dainties which their pretty hands had
prepared especially for the occasion. The
building raised, the supper eaten the cheer
ing glass gone around, the older men ana
women would retire to comfortable places,
the men to smoke and talk, and the women
to comrare the merits Of their blessed ba
bies, while the young people were "trip
ping it ON the green to the ducet tones Of
"A fiddle or two or, if the evening was too
cool. AT the nearest and most cOmmodiOus
cabin Of neighbor; and in those days, and
in those days only, all were neighbors in
every sense of the word.
Passing this general description of "rais
ings, and not applying it to MIR. Barber :
case, though it is fair to presume 1t was as
much according 10 custom rs circumstances
allowed, we come to a brief account of 1t
in the fact that the few near neighbors, and
some others further away, at liolderman :
Grove, and John 5. Armstrong; runaway
negro, who was "the best corner man on th5
iob raised the cabin which had u plain
floor of native Sod covered with natures
pretty carpet of green grass, with q stick,
stone and clay chimney on the outside Of
one of the gable ends of the hoLse, and, be
low, a very spacious fireplace, ornamented
by crane aud pot hooks with a hearth Of
as smooth cobble stones as the bed of the
creek near by could supply. The windows
were Of the primative style, couple or
three logs cut out, three or Rur feet wide
and halfas high, with oiled paper as the
forerunner Of glass.
AN IDEAL SCHOOL HOUSE.
In 1898, MIR. Barbcr's numerous young
people were at the age demanding educa-
tionnl faculties Accordingly he and his
neghbors, prompted by the same family
needs, Joined in the erection Of n log school
house, which was of the earliest knowntype
of such structures-a rough log building
covered as were the cabins, with clap boards,
pine Of any sort being an unknown material
in those days, in this region. The seats
were split bass-wood logs, the split side up,
the larger splnters hewn NJ smooth as pos.
sible with broad axe, with three legs at
either end, and innocent of backs. These
half log benches were 50 high that the legs
of the smaller fry could not reach the floor,
and yet so low that the larger pupils feet
. Ia, nf,rna,,il thruaf
the knees upward at a sharp angle towards
their chlns; bu, as preserving good aver
age between the students of different length
of limbs, these benches were considered
success TILL some genius struck the happy
idea of buildiag benches of different heights
so as to accommodate legs of various extcn-
sion. But, here II new difficulty arose in
teaching them in classes, for sometimes
first class pupils legs were only long enough
for third class bench, and often lad of
twelve or fifteen, two thirds grown strug-
Cling with his A i C's by the length of his
pedal extremelies, was promoted to the
bench of the class in the fourth reader.
While this was not the case at the Barber
school house, the oldest of the pupils not
exceeding ten years, it often happened even
NJ II WuCn lhteT ptlloh III bioohH'lu' III 'h'S
county, and Vienna, in the neighhorng
kingdom Of Gruudy, whore II youth of 20,
sat ON our bench. and in the intensity of his
mental labors in musterng his alphabet,
worked his toes his knees and his mouth in
unison and became our mortal enemy be
cause we could study without repeating our
lesson in a whisper, or any bodily contOr-
tons or mental agony, such rs he suffered.
The first school was taught by MIR. Bar.
ber's brother William, known rs Col. Vim
Barber, a title which he acquired as u com.
mander of the militia at "musters" or gen.
eral trainings in Indiana. lie afterwards
represented the county of La Sale rs mem.
Der of the legislature but died several years
ago. On the morning of the opening of the
first school, Mr.. Samuel Barber. with one of
these memorable wooden benches on his
shoulder marching through the woods, con.
Quoted three of his older children TO this
primitive place of learning. Besides his
family, the children of his neighbors, J. s.
Armstrong, J. A. Dart, Mr.. Clum and later
others attended.
To Mr.. and Mrs. Barber were born fifteen
children, The living are Mrs. Susannah
Abel living near by; Eleanor, at home; Eb.
enezer, bridge builder and postmaster at
Marseilles; Moses and Eliphslet, at Sher-
dan; Marion at home and Henry D. not long
since married to the youngest of Mr.. John ).
Armstrong; children, his daughter Fannie;
Benz. died 80 years ago; jeanette, in 1859,
M L., g.. Al ii 1. -